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Medicare Part B premiums to rise by 6 percent in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:51 GMT

(The Hill) - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the monthly Medicare Part A and B premiums for 2024 on Thursday, with the costs set to go up by six percent next year.CMS would go up by $9.80 from $164.90 to $174.70 in 2024 and the annual deductible for Medicare Part B beneficiaries will go up from $226 to $240 as well. This price increase comes after Medicare Part B premiums went down for the first time in more than 10 years in 2023.Medicare Part B covers medically necessary services and preventive services which include mental health services, some outpatient prescription drugs, ambulance services and durable medical equipment.The premium announced on Thursday falls in line with what the Medicare Board of Trustees estimated the 2024 premium would be earlier this year."The increase in the 2024 Part B standard premium and deductible is mainly due to projected increases in health care spending and, to a lesser degree, the remedy for the 340B-acquired drug p...

Cold front brings gusty winds, cooler weekend weather

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's cold front day!Low clouds, drizzle and mist could slow the morning commute some, but sunshine will make an appearance later today helping temperatures soar into the low 90s. This autumn heat comes ahead of our next cold front, expected to enter the Hill Country late morning before reaching the Austin-metro by early afternoon. Gusty northerly winds will hit first, followed by a drop in humidity and temperatures tonight into the weekend.Gusty winds follow this afternoon's cold frontHumidity plummets behind incoming cold frontAustin City Limits Music Festival forecastSunny days and brisk fall nights can be expected this weekend into early next week. Our next rain chance looks to arrive late next week - stay tuned for updates.Annular solar eclipse SaturdayThe weather looks great for local viewing of the annular solar eclipse midday Saturday. Expect mostly sunny skies, low humidity and cool temperatures. Full information on the eclipse is below: Annular solar ecli...

Senate passes plan to let Texas parents use public funds to pay for private schools

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:51 GMT

Editor's note: This story is updated to reflect that the Senate passed Senate Bill 1 just after midnight Thursday. The video above aired before the vote.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Senate just after midnight Thursday evening passed a plan, 18 to 13, to let Texas parents use public funds to pay for private schools.Senate Bill 1 would allocate $500 million toward the creation of an education savings account program, which was the primary education policy request on Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda for this third special session. Texas Senate unveils its priority school voucher-like legislation The funding comes from Texas’ general revenue and would be available for eligible pre-K through 12 school-aged children. Families of eligible students would receive $8,000 each year that they are enrolled in the program in an account. In order to qualify, they must have attended public school within the last year or are about to enter pre-K or kindergarten for the first time.Earlier in the day, Texas ...

Pets featured in the Morning Report in October

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:51 GMT

In October, we’ve featured pets in Halloween costumes and an adorable goat named Misty. We’ve also remembered a Morning Report friend, Oliver, who recently passed away.Sign up for the Morning Report, our free weekday newsletter, to see more photos of pets: Follow the prompts at Twincities.com/newsletters.Friday, Oct. 13Jennifer and her family love raising goats. This is baby Misty. Isn’t she adorable?Jennifer and her family love raising goats.This is baby Misty.Isn’t she adorable?Thursday, Oct. 12Archie“Archie is our sweet 4-year-old rescue cat and an intelligent guy,” writes Richard of St. Paul. “In this photo he is deep in thought (what is he thinking?). Archie knows he is not welcome on the kitchen counter, but strategically sits on a counter stool with his paws just over the line.”Wednesday, Oct. 11Lucky“My little guy, Lucky, loves long walks,” Troy wrote in an email to the Pioneer Press during a heat wave on Aug. 23. “Yester...

98.3 TRY Social Dilemma: My Neighbors Hate My Halloween Decorations. What Do I Do?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:51 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Today's 98.3 TRY Social Dilemma came from Andy and it's about Halloween decorations. Here's his email: Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Hi Jaime. What do you think about this? Over the last week, I’ve become the most hated man in my neighborhood… and it’s all because of my love for Halloween. My love for the holiday is well known, and I’ve invested thousands of dollars over the last decade making sure I have the greatest house in our entire zip code. Now, people go out of their way to drive by the house, see the spooky decorations, look at the lights, check out the animatronics, and hear my new giant ogre yell at them. It’s freaking awesome. My neighbors, however, have let it be known how much they hate me around this time each year. I’ve set timers to shut things down at 9 p.m. each night, but it doesn’t seem to make things any better. I think 9pm is a fair time to turn things off. Don't you think they'...

Pittsfield PD responds to fatal construction zone crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:51 GMT

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) -- Pittsfield Police responded to a crash in a construction zone Thursday, resulting in the death of someone working in the roadway. Police say Shane Cassavant, 49, died due to injuries from the crash. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On Thursday, around 7:52 a.m., multiple crews responded to 777 West Street for a report of a car that crashed into a pedestrian. Police say the eastbound land was closed to traffic for construction, and cars were being directed into the westbound lane by a flagger. Police say a Chevy Colorado entered the construction zone and struck Cassavant while he was working in the roadway. Cassavant was taken to Berkshire Medical Center where he later died as a result of his injuries. Vermont State Police respond to fatal crash in Mendon Police say that area of West Street was closed for roughly three hours for an investigation and cleanup of the roadway. Police are still investi...

Ask Amy: Elder man wants to shelve wife for younger model

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:51 GMT

Dear Amy: I’m a 67-year-old man, married for over 40 years.I felt pressured into marrying my wife, all those years ago. We have two children, both middle-aged men.I met “Annie” online and we’ve been chatting and talking for two years now.I really like her! She is a little immature but seems very fun to be around.She’s 29 years old. She says she’s in love with me, but we’ve never met.I’m hoping to meet her next month.I’ve told her many times that I’m too old for her, but she starts to cry and doesn’t want to think about not being without me.I’ve tried various common-sense approaches, but she starts to cry.What do you think I should do?Will this be a mistake?I really want out of my marriage, but I don’t want to lose my family.Related ArticlesAsk Amy | Ask Amy: Biological connection reveals famous sibling Ask Amy | Ask Amy: Widowed man falls for former sister-in-law Ask Amy | Ask Amy:...

Which EU regions rely heavily on agriculture?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:51 GMT

In 2020, approximately 4.5% of the EU's total employment, an estimated 9.4 million people, worked within the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector. The vast majority, or 4.2% of total employment, worked in agriculture. The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector continues to be a significant source of employment, particularly in eastern and southern EU countries. Looking at the NUTS 3 regional data, Romania's Vaslui (61.7%) and Neamţ (51.4%) regions reported the highest employment rates in this sector. Furthermore, 114 regions had over 16.5% of their workforce employed in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, with concentrations in Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Romania.Toward the lower end of the range, 137 regions in 2020 had less than 0.5% of their workforce employed in agriculture, forestry, and fishing.  In absolute numbers, the regions with the highest employment in agriculture, forestry, and fishing were predominantly located in Romania, with 8 out of the top 10 re...

Goldberg: The fracturing of the U.S. political left over Israel, Hamas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:51 GMT

On Tuesday evening, I was drinking on the porch of my friend and neighbor Misha Shulman, the Israel-born rabbi of a progressive New York synagogue called the New Shul. All day, he’d been on the phone with congregants deeply distraught over the massacres and mass kidnappings in Israel. Of all the people he spoke to, he said, those most devastated were either people who had lost close friends or family, or young Jews “completely shattered by the response of their lefty friends in New York,” who were either justifying Hamas’ atrocities or celebrating them outright.This sense of deep betrayal is not limited to New York. Many progressive Jews have been profoundly shaken by the way some on the left are treating the terrorist mass murder of civilians as noble acts of anti-colonial resistance. These are Jews who share the left’s abhorrence of the occupation of Gaza and of the enormities inflicted on it, which are only going to get worse if and when Israel invades. But the way keyboard radic...

Horoscopes Oct. 13, 2023: Kate Walsh, make personal growth a priority

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:51 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Caleb McLaughlin, 22; Sacha Baron Cohen, 52; Kate Walsh, 56; Marie Osmond, 64.Happy Birthday: Follow your passion, speak the truth and do things your way. Refuse to get caught up in someone else’s dream when you have one to pursue. Put your energy into making a difference for yourself and finding solutions to your concerns. Don’t let anger set in when time, patience and love will help you find the answers. Make personal growth a priority. Your numbers are 5, 19, 22, 27, 30, 38, 49.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take a breather and do what’s best for you. Ask yourself tough questions and consider what brings you joy. Take responsibility for your happiness, and pursue the skills, knowledge and experience needed to get you where you want to be. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t let an opportunity pass you by, and don’t give up on someone or something because it takes work to turn things around. Put your energy into a positive...